Stenciling method and apparatus



J. C. SMITH ET AL STENCILING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed July 9, 1932 fa'/ @y June 25, 1935.'

Patented June 25, 1935 UNITED STA-TES PATENT OFFICE STENCILING METHOD AND APPARATUS Application July 9, 1932, Serial N0. 621,628

3 Claims.

Our invention relates to a stenciling method and apparatus, and particularly to the lettering and decorating of articles of glassware, and various other objects.

Our invention has for its object the provision of an improved method and apparatus whereby articles may be more rapidly lettered or decorated than by various methods heretofore employed, and with less danger of smudglng the paint or other decorating material on the surface of the article being operated upon.

Some forms of apparatus for practising our invention are shownin the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a sectional view through one form of stenciling apparatus; Fig. 2 is an end view of the structure of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof; Fig. 4 shows a manner in which the stencil sheet may be connected to the frame of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 shows an inverted plan view of the stencil sheet; Fig. 6 shows a. fragmentary plan view of a modified form of stenciling apparatus, and Fig. 7 is an elevational view thereof, partly in section.

While We hereinafter describe our invention in connection with screen stenciling, it will be understood that other forms of stenciling may be employed, and that instead of applying stenciling ink to the articles, they may be coated with an acid-resistant material'when the articlesto be etched are placed in an acid bath. Also, they may be similarly coated with a material which will be resistant to sand-blasting, in those cases where the uncoated portions of the articles are to be subjected to a sand-blast.

In the present case, we show the procedure followed in lettering glass jars or bottles by ink pressed through a screen stencil which may be of any well-known form, but is here shown as consisting of a parchment sheet 9 and a silk or other flbrous'sheet l0, the sheets having perforations arranged to form the word Salt The perforations are preferably so closely spaced that the ink forced therethrough against the articles 8 will combine to present a substantially unbroken appearance on the faces of the jars.

The sheets 9 and I0 are secured to a frame il that has hinged connection with a box l2 which is open at its ends and provided with bars i3 and It that serve to demie a passageway through the box for the jars 8. A stop member I5 of l. shape is pivotally connected to the bottom board of the box I2, and has its end I6 extending through a perforation in the bar I 3. At its pivot, the latch or stop I5 has an extension I1 to which is connected one end of a spring I8 whose other end is anchored at I9 to the box.

The stop I5, therefore, has its end I6 yieldably held within the channel formed by the bars I3 and I4, so that it will serve as a stop member for 5 the jars being pushed through the box. The stop I5 has an extension 20 that is curved or inclined at its outer end, and normally overlies the entrance to thebox, so that when a jar is being pushed into the box it will shift the lever 20 laterally, causing the latch I5 to be withdrawn against the tension of the spring i8, thereby removing the stop extension I6 from the passageway between the bars i3 and I4, and permitting the jars within the box to be advanced. 5

As soon as the entering jar passes the bent enci 20 of the lever, such lever can swing back to the position shown in Fig. 3, thereby allowing the stop member I6 to enter the passageway in the box and limit movement of the jar which is then approaching the mid portion of the box.

The lettering on the stencil is positioned above the central portion of the box, and the stop members I6 serve to center or position each jar in the proper location beneath the stencil sheet. A squeegee 22 having a rubber edge, of somewhat the usual form, is employed for forcing ink from the top surface of the stencil sheet I0 through the letters of the stencil to the jars. If the upper surfaces of the jars are iiat, the rubber lblade of the squeegee may be fairly stiff, While if the surface of the jar is of uneven contour, better results would be secured by having the'stencil rubber comparatively soft and flexible. Bars 23 are secured across the frame II to serve as stop and. guide members for the squeegee when it is being moved back and forth on the stencil sheet.

The stencil frame i I is mounted at such height relative to the jars that there is some clearance between the stencil sheet and the upper surface of the jars, thereby avoiding smearing or smudging of the ink on the jars while they are being advanced beneath the stencil. The stencil sheet may conveniently have such flexibility or'loose ness on the frame that the clearance space may be one-eighth inch, for example, the sheet, of course, being pushed into contact with the jars by the pressure on the squeegee, while the jars are stationary.

The clearance space can, of course, be varied to suit conditions, and can be greater where the area of the stencil sheet is greater than shown in the drawing. If the sheet is made of such area as to permit of greater clearance space between it and the articles being stenciled, it will be seen that articles of various dimensions may be stenciled on the same apparatus.

Again, articles of smaller sizes than those shown on the drawing can be stenciled in the apparatus here described, vby inserting filler strips on the bottom of the channel formed by the 4bars I3 and I4, to permit such smaller articles to be moved through a path closer to the stencil sheet than if they rested directly on the bottom board o! the box I2.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 1, we show a rotatable carrier for advancing the jars beneath a stencil frame 25, which frame may correspond to the frame I I, and carry a stencil sheet in the same manner. This carrier consists of what is in effect a turn-table 26 that is rotatably supported in a frame 21. The table has a spindle or shaft-like extension 28vthat is journaledl in the frame 21, and which carries at its lower end a ratchet wheel 29 that is rigidly secured thereto. A pawl. lever 30 is loosely and rotatably supported on the lower end of the shaft 23 and carries a pivoted pawl 3|.

A pull rod 32 is connected at one end to the pawl lever 30, and at its other end to a rocking lever 33. The lower end of the 'lever 33 is pivotally connected to the base of the frame 21, and a link 34 has one end pivotally connected to the lever 33, and its other end connected to a bell crank lever 35, which has a treadle 36 and is pivotally mounted upon a supporting member 31. It will be seen that when the treadle 36 is depressed by the foot of the operator, the pull rod 32 will be thrust toward the shaft 2'3, thus rocking the pawl lever 30 and causing the pawl, which is spring-held against the periphery of the ratchet 29, to rotate the ratchet and the table 26 one step. Upon release of the treadle 36, the levers will be returned to retracted position, either through the weight of the lever 33 or by a suit'- able spring.

The table is provided on its upper surface with laterally-spaced bars 38 and 39 that serve to form a channel or pocket for the jars. The jars may be loaded onto the table at the station 40, it being understood that the table is advanced step-bystep in a clockwise direction by operation of the treadle 36. Each time a lettered jar is taken off, a blank jar is put in its place, and the operator of the squeegee will depress the treadle 36 to intermittently advance the table to bring the jars, one by one, beneath the stencil 26.

The outer end of the pull rod 32 has pin-andslot connection with the upper end oi' the lever 33, so'that it can be adjusted at various vertical positions to permit of varying its length of stroke and consequently the distance which` the tablewill be rotated upon each actuation of the treadle 36. 'Ihe points at which jars carried by the table will be stopped with respect to the stencil can thereby be altered at will.

In both forms of apparatus above described, it will be seen that the articles can be very rapidly imprinted, because they can be advanced stepby-step, through a given path beneath the stencil screen, thus avoiding the necessity of liftingA the screen and placing each article beneath it as in the case of methods heretofore employed.

. We claim as our. invention:-

1. Stenciling apparatus comprising a guideway for articles to be stenciled, a stencil sheet like positioned above said guideway, a stop, member normally positioned to limit movemen of an article past the said stencil, and a tripp device positioned to be operated by an article entering the guideway and serving to withdraw the said stop member to inoperative position.

2. Stenciling apparatus comprising a guideway for articles to be stenciled, a stencil sheet or the like positioned above saidguideway, a stop member yieldably held in position to limit movement of an article past the saidstencil, and a tripping device positioned to be operated by an article entering the guideway, and serving to withdraw the said stop member to inoperative position.

rthe

3. Stenciling apparatus comprising a guideway for articles tov be stenciled, a stencil sheet or the like positioned above said guideway, a latch bar having a stop member normally extending intosaid guideway below the stencil sheet,` a cam lmember carried by the latch bar and normally 

